On Thursday morning, water collected over the course of this past week from within Syracuse and surrounding communities for Flint was collected at People’s AME Zion Church in Syracuse and loaded onto a tractor trailer. The water was blessed by area clergy members and heads out this evening for delivery to neighborhoods in Flint.

Thank you to all who donated water and to People’s AME Zion for organizing and seeing that the water is delivered to those in need.

As you may be aware, the water supply of Flint Michigan has been severely compromised. A state of emergency has been declared there because its drinking water has been contaminated with unsafe levels of lead. The lead contamination — which can lead to behavior problems and learning disabilities in children and kidney ailments in adults — has left Flint residents, many of whom are poor and minority, unable to drink unfiltered tap water. The Syracuse City School District and other local organizations including 100 Black Men and Alpha Kappa Alpha are leading an effort to provide some relief to Flint residents by collecting bottled water to be sent to them. At worship on Sunday, Grace will collect bottled water as part of this campaign.

If you want to help, bring bottled water to worship here at Grace, on Sunday, where we will place it around the altar to be blessed and then take to a local collection point.